Amorous Red-tail Vocalization

Tristan of the Cathedral Hawks

As the lunar eclipse was invisible in my locale in Wisconsin, I'd asked Robert Schmunk of http://bloomingdalevillage.blogspot.com/ how it had gone in NYC. He kindly responded with the added treat of a report on Tristan and Isolde, the Uptown Hawks.

Here's what he had to say,

Eclipse here was so-so. There was still too much light in the sky when it started so we didn't see it start. But we did watch it finish.

Today was very cold (Monday, DB), one of the the coldest days we had this past winter, with a low of 11 this morning. I went over to the Cathedral at 5:15 despite the cold and how late it was getting. Now I wonder how much attention the folks at St Luke's pay attention to what goes on outside their windows. Tristan and Isolde did the deed, so to speak, twice while I was there. They were on a branch no more than 15 feet from the 4th floor windows on the Morningside Drive side of the hospital. I didn't actually see the second event, as I was a block down the street, but it was pretty audible. I assume you've witnessed this sort of thing before with PM and Lola, but my reaction all three times that I have had in the past few days has been "sounds like gulls fighting".

Isolde may have even have roosted by the hospital for the night. She was still in the same spot when I left at 5:50. My gloves were not doing their job and I had to vacate. Low on Thursday is projected to be 7. That would be the coldest we've had this year if it happens.

rbs

Rob,

As to copulating hawks sounding like gulls, absolutely. I thought exactly the same thing. When Pale Male and Lola are copulating on Fifth Avenue, you don't hear a thing if you're watching from the Hawk Bench. Now I'd noticed that Pale Male's beak was opening and closing during those moments. So two seasons ago I went up to the park wall across from the Linda Building, in hopes that I'd be able to hear if any vocalizations were being produced. Lola was sitting expectantly on the roof's corner so I thought I might have a chance to answer the question. Miraculously I hadn't been there five minutes when Pale Male cruised over to Lola, and sure enough, there was lots of noise and as you say, it sounds just like gulls.

When I reported vocalizations back then there were some who were downright skeptical. Thank you for the confirmation!. D.B.

Finally, a Cottontail.

It's 3 degrees F. currently but photo period seems to be doing it's work as I saw two Red-tails dancing this afternoon over a field on the edge of town. Not with the intensity that will occur later but still even in the Midwest the reproductive hormones are surging.

And speaking of reproductive hormones, I've been looking at rabbit tracks, traces of the traditional sex fiends, for weeks without once sighting a rabbit. There are a number of different sized tracks so there have to be a number of cottontails out there. Check out the tracks. Why haven't I seen them? I finally found out why.

Peeking out the back curtains at 2:30 this morning, I scared a very small cottontail out of his wits and out from under the bird feeder. So that's it. No dawn and dusk feeding for these guys. They browse in the wee hours. Well the Red-tails are roosting and I've not seen or heard much

in the way of owls. Though I hear a Great Horned nested up by St. Mary's Church last season, she's off on her winter vacation by now. Bunnies are no dummies, they're adaptable and eat when they're less likely to be eaten.

Visualize how rabbits actually perambulate. It's really odd when you think about it. They've the tiny legs and feet in the front and large heavily muscled legs in the back. So when they go forward at a run the big back legs cross past the little front ones and bong, the leap forward takes place. I'm thinking that the smaller front legs are instrumental in balance and as a kind of pivot in controlling the direction of the leap at the last second for evasive moves. See here, how there are two hops one direction and suddenly bunny has done a neat quarter turn during the third hop in the air and comes down cleanly in a new direction.

Look it's Rabbit scat. Actually I've never noticed the yellow snow, okay brown snow, created by bunnies before.

What happened here?

The two craters are probably from snow falling off the tree, but what about the two depressions on the edge of the drift that are definitely from feet?

I don't know how the creature got there unless they're from a bird.

Oh, come on! They're just the right size for a crow.

Pale Male and Lola Hang Out

Photograph by Eleanor Tauber Saturday March 3, 2007

Eleanor just sent this photo taken with her remarkable little digital camera. Our local hawk royalty is sitting on Shipshape which means Eleanor was far, far, far. away from the birds when she snapped it. And no long lens, no less.

By the way what is this I hear about NYC having weather in the 50's on Saturday. I cannot tell you how envious I am. I'm beginning to think my snow boots are actually part of my feet.

Though there are some perks here. I did spotted three deer browsing in a snow covered field. Beautiful.

D. B.

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